DSWD-Pantawid Pamilya to enroll more families in Central Luzon in 2012

Department of Social Welfare and Development is set to enroll an additional 58,539 indigent households in Central Luzon to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (Pantawid Pamilya) next year.

Pantawid Pamilya regional information officer Jasper Nicolas disclosed that Nueva Ecija will have the most number of new grantees with 24,347 followed by Tarlac - 9,689; Zambales - 5,865; Bulacan - 5,711; Pampanga - 5,560; Aurora - 4,827; and Bataan - 2,540.

Nicolas explained "the beneficiaries were selected through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction- the similar instrument used in determining the recipients of the Self Employment Assistance-Kaunlaran, Social Pension and Cash-for-Work programs."

NHTS-PR is an information management system that identifies who and where the poor are in the country. It uses the Proxy Means Test in the selection of beneficiaries for social welfare programs and services.

The PMT is a statistical model that estimates household income using proxy variables included in the household assessment form.

Some of the variables used in the PMT are family composition, education of household members, housing conditions and access to basic services.

These variables were sourced out from the Family Income and Expenditure Survey and Labor Force Survey of the National Statistics Office.

A household whose economic condition falls on or below the poverty line would qualify for the specific programs and services of DSWD.

Pantawid Pamilya provides cash grants of P1,400 per month during school months (June-March) and P500 per month during non-school months (April-May) to household beneficiaries as long as they comply with certain conditions like the regular visit of children in health centers to avail immunization and maintenance of a class attendance rate of at least 85 percent per month for those who are enrolled in day care centers or schools.

Nicolas said the new beneficiaries will be enlisted to the program once DSWD finishes the validation in the selected barangays.-PIA — ARA